Food Technology
Terms and Definitions

ACUTE CARE – normally referred to as ‘ a hospital’ but truly the terminology used to describe services for people that stay at a site for a short period of time . This time frame could be a day visit (outpatient) or for a number for a number of days (inpatient). The average length of stay for an acute care location is normally 2.5 - 4 days .

AMBULATORY CARE – often referred to as a ‘clinic’ this is a triage type location that normally sees people and refers them to other medical facilities or practitioners

LONG TERM CARE or LTC – a facility for the elderly with normal average lengths of stay of 3-5 months with some residents often staying for years.

RESIDENTIAL CARE – The term "residential care facilities" refers to facilities which are approved, funded or licensed by provincial/territorial departments of health and/or social services. Among the facilities included are homes for the aged (including nursing homes), persons with physical disabilities, persons who are developmentally delayed, persons with psychiatric disabilities, persons with alcohol and drug problems, emotionally disturbed children, transients, young offenders and others.

CHRONIC CARE – a facility that cares for people that will be in need of support and care for a long time (upward of 5 years or longer). These are facilities that care for serious disabilities and ailments such as mental illness, stroke, coma, and serious spinal cord injuries (i.e. quadraplaegic).

HEALTH CARE SUPPORT SERVICES – food, housekeeping, maintenance, laundry, security, portering (sometimes pharmacy, labs, and storeroom)

CLINICAL DIETITIAN – a professional dietitian who normally reports though the clinical side of the hospital rather than being a part of the support service team…they have a relationship to build and maintain with dietetics or food services department but they are often considered as part of the programs department rather than food services.

ADMINISTRATIVE DIETITIAN – a professional designation that describes a dietitian who has more management experience and training rather than clinical training. An Admin Dietitian cannot counsel patients and prescribe diet therapy.

REGIONALIZATION – a term used to describe a multi site group of health care locations that have merged under one authoritarian body such as one board or one team of senior management. This has become a new process mandated by some governments to find efficiency and operational savings through consolidation and removal of duplication and waste.

GROUP PURCHASING or BUYING GROUP – many hospitals have opted to join large buying groups to try and find savings in raw food costs due to economies of scale akin to larger volume purchases. This also helps standardize what hospitals use and is of particular advantage in large regional groups of hospitals – therefore, if employee xyz works at Hospital A one day and is called in to work at Hospital B the next day, she/he will be using the same equipment etc.

FOOD SERVICE WORKER or AIDE – some one that works in Food Services

PORTER – a position name given to someone who is responsible for moving carts etc throughout the health care facility as well as delivery and pick up of patients

FOOD SERVICE MANAGER / DIRECTOR – the person in charge of the food service department. A layer of supervisors report to this person and this person could be responsible for a number of locations

DIRECTOR OF SUPPORT SERVICES – often this person has a number of departments reporting to them such as housekeeping, dietary, maintenance, and security and could well be responsible for more than one location.

PATIENT AS OPPOSED TO NON PATIENT FOOD SERVICES – patient foodservices is as it sounds, a service provided to in and outpatients of the hospital usually to their direct care area such as their room. Non Patient Food Services is usually referred to as Retail services or catering.

RETHERM or RETHERMALIZATION – a process whereby cooked food that is cold is reheated to serving temperature. Also called Regeneration or Regen for short

BELTLINE – the mechanical beltline that sends a tray past various food service stations so that employess can place food products on the tray as per the need of that patient.

TRAY SERVICE – meals are served to patients on trays. Normally the patient chooses their meal components ahead of time and the tray is assembled in advance of the actual service. This is the norm for most acute care settings

BULK SERVICE – meals are served to patients from a trolley that has a array of hot and cold foods to choose from . Usually patients can make their choice and be served immediately after the preferences are given to the food service worker.

SMALLWARES – this is anything that can be used to help feed a patient and includes everything from trays, plates, bowls, cups, lids, etc. These can be made of high heat plastics or china/porcelain. Burlodge carries a wide range of disposable smallware products as well such as lids, plates, side dishes, and cups.

ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT – these are pieces of equipment that are used in support of larger equipment such as retherm carts. They often include such items as tray carts, plate storage racks, beltlines, baskets, etc.

CONVECTION HEAT – a method of reheating food using hot air movement by fan. Food is gently brought to serving temperature by constantly passing hot air around the entire food . This is similar to how you heat food at home.

CONDUCTION HEAT – a method of heating food by heating the pod that the plate is positioned on. The plate emits the heat into the food thus heating the food from the bottom up. This causes excessive moisture to form on lids as well as tends to scorch food. The

INDUCTION HEATING – a method that sees the plate becoming warm when it comes in contact with a special surface. The special surface is not hot to the touch. The plate, however, has a special metal plate inside the porcelain that will become hot when it is contacted by the special surface.

LIAISON CHAUDE – the method of tray assembly that has hot food placed on a tray at a beltline.

LIAISON FROIDE – the method of tray assembly that has cold food placed on a tray that will be reheated later in a retherm unit

MARCHE EN AVANT – the process flow of food through a food service kitchen that has food moving forward and waste reversing. As the food continues forward it becomes ‘cleaner’ and packaging is removed and it is stored in sanitary containers

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